Nathan Appleby: Toronto’s Sign Painter
The story of a traditional artisan in the neon age
Toronto collector Daniel Spiegelman poses with Nathan Appleby’s McColl-Frontenac “Follow the Red Indian Trail” Sign.
Few will remember Nathan Appleby’s sign-painting shop on Queen Street West, Toronto. Fewer will remember the man inside. Active from the 1930s to the early 1980s, Appleby’s shop was an anchor in the seas of a changing world. Some called him an anachronism; stuck in the past. He saw the rise and fall of neon, and the beginnings of the digital advertising age, but continued to do things the “old” way. To Appleby, sign painting was more than communicating a message; it was an art form.
Appleby was rarely seen without his trademark cigar wedged between his lips, or without a paint-splattered cardigan, a muffler around his neck, and an old fedora resting on his head. However, beneath this image of a cantankerous old-timer, Appleby harboured an emotional side marked by relentless self-doubt and lingering regret. Apart from his dedicated career in the field of sign painting, those closest to him knew of the lifelong yearning he held for a singing career that had slipped through his grasp.
Signwriter Nathan Appleby in his studio.
If you look closely at Nathan Appleby’s signs, they tell the story of his life. On October 28th, Miller & Miller Auctions will present a collection representative of his life’s work.
Mentored by A.J. Casson of the Group of Seven, Appleby developed a deep appreciation for traditional art techniques and methods. After graduating from the Ontario College of Art in 1929, he secured a position in the advertising department of The McColl Frontenac Oil Company. Here, he eagerly put into practice the skills and techniques he had acquired during his college years. One of his early signs from his tenure at McColl Frontenac (offered as lot 561 in the upcoming sale) is considered his masterpiece.
"During the Golden Age of sign painting, the mark of an accomplished sign painter was their lettering ability, and their talent in depicting scrolls and banners," noted Toronto collector Daniel Spiegelman, who has studied Appleby’s work his entire life. "If one had the technical ability to work in reverse on glass with gold leaf, that was an added attraction."
Right from the start, Appleby’s signs bore the hallmark of traditional hand-painted craftsmanship, including careful brushwork, intricate detailing, and the use of classic materials such as gold leaf. His work often featured elegant scripts, ornate banners, and delicate motifs. Appleby was just 23-years-old when he produced the McColl Frontenac sign. The work showcases a myriad of technical skills. Appleby’s younger brother Morris observed that when customers asked Nathan what he was capable of, he would simply point towards the McColl Frontenac sign.
Appleby’s McColl-Frontenac "Follow The Red Indian Trail" Sign is offered as lot 561 in the October 28th auction at Miller & Miller.
After McColl Frontenac, Appleby took the plunge into a solo career. In 1930, he crafted a sign for his business using the same medium and methods he used for his McColl-Frontenac masterpiece. The sign became further evidence of his sign painting talents. The sign is scripted, "Nathan Appleby Signs of the Better Kind," and features a treble clef as the capital "S" in "Signs". The treble clef was Appleby’s ode to his truest passion: opera singing.
At the age of 39, after a decade of sign painting, Appleby had a breakthrough that could have changed his life forever. Encouraged by a former girlfriend, he auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera in New York and successfully secured a scholarship. However, after a two-year stint, he made a life-altering decision, one that would haunt him for the remainder of his days: he chose to pack his bags and return to Toronto to resume his career as a sign writer.
"I've been a coward all my life," Appleby once confessed in a Toronto Star interview, "I was afraid of marriage, afraid of becoming an opera singer in the prime of my life, afraid of becoming cantor for my synagogue, but [there’s] one thing I've never been a coward about, and that's my little business, my signwriting."
An article published in the Toronto Star Sunday Magazine on April 15, 1979, offers a glimpse into Nathan Appleby's signwriting studio. Concealed behind an elaborately hand-painted storefront window, one would find a jovial Nathan Appleby, likely immersed in a lively phone conversation with a customer. The studio, true to the artist's nature, exuded a cozy clutter. Open paint cans teetered precariously on tabletops, unfinished artwork and newspaper clippings fluttered about, and a discreet bottle of whisky rested beneath the desk. In stark contrast to this chaotic, "mad scientist" environment, Appleby's work was always polished, precise, and organized.
A glimpse into Appleby’s chaotic studio.
Appleby's signs were more than mere commercial advertisements; they were artistic expressions reflecting his personality and, quite often, his deep connection to his Jewish heritage. One sign, designed for a delicatessen, humorously depicted deli products that weren't strictly Kosher, alluding to the ongoing controversy within the Jewish community about what constitutes a Kosher product. Appleby's quirky sense of humour shone through as he portrayed corned beef that resembled bacon and salami that looked like ham. This sign, discovered in a shed in Kensington Market in the 1990s, is offered as lot 563 in the upcoming sale.
This large Chicago Kosher "58" Sign by Nathan Appleby is offered as lot 563 in the October 28th auction.
Another work with hidden meaning is the "Goodman's" sign, a colourful creation advertising Goodman’s egg noodles, soups and matzos. According to Spiegelman, it also appears to feature a possible cameo.
"The 'Goodman's' sign is, I believe, a whimsical portrayal of Morris, Mr. Appleby's younger brother," suggested Spiegelman.
Morris, being both an accountant and a lawyer, was considered the "egg head" of the Appleby family, and Spiegelman believes the sign humorously depicted him as a "loksh," a Yiddish term for “noodle” which is used to describe tall, skinny individuals. In this piece, also found in a Kensington Market shed, Appleby creatively employed various traditional painting techniques, including the use of classic ribbon scrolls for the apron ties. The Goodman’s sign is offered as lot 562 in the sale.
The "Retail Store" sign, created in 1961 for a small store on Spadina Avenue in Toronto, is reminiscent of 19th-century Eastern European trade signs advertising "schochets," traditional Jewish slaughterers. For the rooster, Appleby drew inspiration from a much earlier Nugget Shoe Polish sign, with a few subtle differences. The Retail Store sign is offered together with the Nugget Shoe Polish sign as lot 406.
The Rooster Retail Store Sign is offered together with the “Nugget” Shoe Polish Lithograph as lot 406.
As the years went by, Appleby grappled with the emergence of neon and digital advertising while working tirelessly to uphold the relevance and appreciation of traditional signs. His last shop sign, created in the 1950s, echoed the virtuosity of his first trade sign, with its exquisite scrolls, banners, various lettering styles, and gold leaf finish. However, the emotional tone of this sign was notably different, and the treble clef was nowhere to be seen.
"The tone of this sign is decidedly less optimistic and darker than his first trade sign," observed Spiegelman, "rather than hoping to make the world a better place through his art, by this point in his life, Mr. Appleby had come face to face with the reality of competition."
Ironically, the sign proudly proclaims "Up to Date Signs," even though its style remains virtually indistinguishable from Appleby's original trade sign created two decades earlier. Both his original trade sign and this final trade sign are included in the upcoming sale as lots 398 and 399, respectively.
Nathan Appleby's work is a testament to the enduring allure of handmade art. It tells the story of Toronto’s Appleby, but it also reveals the boulevard of his broken dreams. Beneath it all, however, is an honesty that is as true as the traditional craft he spent his life protecting. His loyalty to his craft remains his greatest legacy.
Story by Tess Malloy
Tess is a freelance writer and history enthusiast who enjoys unearthing interesting stories about remarkable people and objects. Tess has written for The Miller Times for six years.
THREE NOTABLE MENTIONS
Lot 565: 833 Sign - This sign was designed to sit in a transom above the street-level door of a second story Tattoo Parlour on Queen Street West. The shop was in the general area of the CNE, and its Midway, lending to the vibrant carnival-inspired colours.
Lot 401: Mexican Food Sign - This sign was purchased from the window of Sneaky Dee’s, at the corner of College and Bathurst Streets in the late 80s. The fun lettering and colours speak for themselves, sending the right message to hungry passersby.
Lot 400: Cigars Sign: This sign was displayed in the window of Switzer’s Delicatessen (Spadina and Dundas). Appleby designed it to be seen from afar - to lure customers from “Shopsy’s” Deli across the street.
SALE DETAILS:
Advertising, Petroliana & Coin-Op
Featuring the Lifetime Work of Nathan Appleby
October 28, 2023
9am EST
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